The Aftermath Of You

Chapter Sixteen

The first timid knock might have gone unheard, if it weren't for the far more persistent knocking that followed. Opening the door Toni found herself face to face with two young men, wearing starched white shirts, black suits and ties and sombre expressions. One of the men, with a carefully cultivated albino look, stood rigidly, a bicycle held firmly in one hand and some pamphlets clasped in the other. His friend, a large African American man, had a large book wedged under his arm. His bicycle was parked near her garden gate.

"Good morning." The albino radiated goodness and bonhomie. "How are you?"

She moved uncomfortably under their gaze, wishing that she'd thrown a jumper over her pajama top. She tried to look down discreetly to see if anything was visible but ended up cross-eyed. The albino seemed put out. She thought of all her ailments and couldn't decide what made her feel worse - her foot, her hair or the fact her heart felt a lot like a loaf of bread which had been heartlessly sliced up and was only held together by the plastic bag it was placed in. "I feel great."

"Broken ankle?" he asked.

She could sense that he was stalling for time. "Dance floor catastrophe."

"Dangerous," he murmured, then clearing his throat he said, "We've been talking with your neighbors about what can be done to assure that there will be employment and housing for everyone. Do you believe that it is reasonable to expect that human governments will accomplish this?"

"Oh right, um ... I guess so." Toni propped her shoulder on the door jamb and feigned interest. She didn't give a jot about politics and secretly wished she hadn't got off the couch. The poor man obviously needs a wife, Toni decided, if he's got to run around the neighborhood knocking on doors just so he can have a chin wag. To pass the time she let her eyes wander to the tall, strong African American man standing beside him. He stood like a basketball champion. Toni could imagine him coming out of the womb with a wash board stomach. Nicely shaped mouth, she noted. I really have to slip him my number. But how she could do that without looking too forward was beyond her - although he was the one knocking on her door... wasn't he asking for it?

The albino cleared his throat loudly, and Toni shot him a startled look. "As I was saying," he said pointedly, "there is someone who knows how to solve these problems, and that is mankind's Creator."

It was probably the sound of the penny dropping inside her head that startled the next door neighbor's cat, which had been lounging nearby in interest. That's the catch for strangers turning up on my doorstep with a sympathetic ear and diverting chitchat, Toni thought miserably.

She spent the next half an hour politely listening to them bang on about all of the treasure that awaited them in the afterlife, and reading long scriptures out of the Bible which she couldn't seem to decipher - possibly due to her mind whirling like she'd guzzled a bottle of tequila.  I won't be allowed passed those pearly gates!

The thought knocked the wind from her lungs.  Why did Jack have to mess everything up?

Jack.  It all came back to Jack.

 She wanted to hurt them, like they'd hurt her with this innocent reminder.  To snarl something cruel, but it wasn't their fault that she'd been an accomplice to a major sin.  "Well," said the albino, finally bringing the conversation to a close.

"I'm not sure I'm interested," Toni apologised. "It's just that I really don't think God likes me very much."

"God loves all of his-"

"But I am trying to find myself spiritually, however I was thinking more of getting my chakras realigned. What do you think?". As far as she knew realigned chakras didn't depend on you fitting a strict criteria of 12 commandments.

The albino was lost for words for the first time in an hour. "I don't think that getting your chakras realigned will be that rewarding-"

"My mother knows a woman who went to get her chakras realigned and if it weren't for that she wouldn't have been near the hospital when she had a heart attack. That's pretty spooky if you ask me."

"God works in mysterious ways."

"He does, doesn't he?" Toni nodded vigorously. "I think I'll go and ring them now."

It was not before the albino thrust a sweaty magazine into her hand in defeat, though. He and his slightly bemused companion cycled off, leaving Toni with the newfound vigour for chakra alignment ...